Synopsis
In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.
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Main Characters
Josephine “Jo” March | played by Saoirse Ronan
Jo acts as the main protagonist in the story. She is the second oldest among the 4 sisters. Her demeanor is tomboyish and quick-tempered. Moreover, she is passionate about her pursuit of becoming a writer even though publishers during her time is not yet open to embracing female writers like her.
Margaret “Meg” March | played by Emma Watson
Meg is the oldest among the siblings. She is a woman who can be a great mother for being gentle, caring, responsible, and loving to everyone. Her weakness lies in purchasing luxury items, romance, and family.
Amy March | played by Florence Pugh
Amy is the youngest March sister. She has a talent for painting and design. Like Jo, she has this tendency to be quick-tempered. She loves vanity and believes in improving herself for her dreams.
Elizabeth “Beth” March | played by Eliza Scanlen
Beth is the third March daughter. As being quiet and timid, she hardly expresses herself and gets others’ attention. She likes music like playing the piano.
Settings
**It is set during and after the time of the American Civil War**
New England (Massachusetts) – March Family Home
New York – Jo March worked as a writer and tutor
Europe (Paris and London) – Amy studied Visual Arts (Painting)
Related Link: Bridgerton: Netflix Series Review
Critique
Little Women 2019 is a beautiful film version of the classic story of the 1886 novel of Louisa May Alcott. It tells March sisters coming-of-age story when they chase their dreams, fall in love, discover what’s beyond their world and simply live life. It gave an emphasis on the status of a woman in society during that time – American Civil War. How will these girls be able to face these challenges and have a choice in carving their own path in life?
Remember the 90’s Animation film
Back in the 90s, only television can make you excited and entertained. I remember watching the animated version of Little Women (Filipino – Tagalog) dubbed. With that, I already have an idea of what the story is about before watching the 2019 film. I wished I somehow tried to read the original book but it never happened. What classic novel I read is only Wuthering Heights and The Secret Garden.
March Sisters Casting in 2019 Film
As an Emma Watson fan (watched Perks of Being a Wall Flower and Beauty & The Beast ), it surely ringed the bell when I found out she is part of The Little Women 2019 casting. After watching the trailer, I longed to watch it for good. Though, I didn’t expect that she will act the gentle Meg March here. I believe the choice of actress and actor suited best for this film. I would like to commend also Saoirse Ronan for acting as Jo March. She is cool and always in character. Among the sisters, Jo March is my most preferred female lead. She is relentless in her pursuit of being a writer and has a warm heart always for her family.
Focusing on a Female Lens
In the story, we mostly get a female perspective because our protagonists are young girls. Their relationships with each other are the focus and how they were able to process the challenges of adulthood. We get to meet different personalities and similar ones too. Jo and Amy usually fought for some reason and as they are both short-tempered, they really had this huge fight. Meanwhile, Meg’s gentle nature makes her a perfect wife to any man. Then, Beth is the shy one but secretly talented in playing the piano.
Among them, Jo March was challenged most in terms of gender because she can’t publish her novel back under her name. Before, female writers used a male pseudonym only to publish their work. Moreover, marriage is big deal for women. It is shown in the part where Aunt March pushes Amy in Paris to meet a decent man to marry her or else, she will find no purpose in life.
Back and Forth Scenes in the Movie
Do you notice the story sequencing in the film? It made the story a bit confusing in the first 15 minutes. If you are new to the story, it is a bit turn off on finishing the entire film for more than an hour. I experienced watching a Montage (non-linear) film sequence breakdown in 500 Days of Summer but it felt right and suited to the story plot. However, I think having this style is not necessary for Little Women 2019 film. (Or at least, they should place a label) At first, it didn’t feel Jo March is in real New York, so whenever there is a leap of sequence – I was just left in blank seeing she is again back in Massachusetts for a ball party.
Overall, you will still enjoy reliving a classic story in a film for the year 2019. I thought this will also be a useful material if you will have a lecture for students about classic literature and make this a film showing activity. Or, if you just want to see these March sisters in live-action played by the 21st-century actors.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
If you have any thoughts to share about this film, feel free to leave a comment below.
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Note: All photos are taken from Google Images. The review and rating for this movie are only based on the opinion of the reviewer.
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Great review! I love Emma Watson too and have been wanting to watch this for a while now – I now want to more than ever! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you read and review it blog! 🙂
Yes, we love our hermione so we support her. haha!
Hope you enjoy the watch!
I read the book a long time ago and remember how I enjoyed it and the film version back in the 90s. I haven’t watched this latest film but would like to. It sounds like it was well done and the characters were nicely explored by the director and actors. Thanks for the review!
Hello Molly! 🙂
Wow, you were able to read the classic book and even watched the film.
True, you need to experience watching the 2019 version. You have the right to compare after doing so. haha
The 2019 film was well done. 😀 Glad, I watched it.
Thanks again for your thoughts! x
I need to watch this film! I love Little Women (the book and other film adaptations) but I haven’t watched this one yet. Thanks for sharing x
Hello Eleanor! Thanks for reading the post. :)Yes, you must watch this 2019 version.
Hi Lovely,
Thank you for your excellent film review. Be honest with me, if the sort of films that I usually like to watch are in the John Wick genre am I going to enjoy Little Women? Perhaps I’ll recommend it to my wife 😉
Thanks for reading, Richie! 😀 Haha, oh well I bet your wife will love to watch this one.
I really enjoyed the book and this film and really appreciate your review of the movie. Thanks for the reminder to watch it again!
Thanks for reading, Jodie! 🙂 Glad to know that. Hope you get the time to watch this 2019 film version of Little Women.
I remember watching the 90’s animation every afternoon when I was a kid! I only read the Little Women book later on than what other people did and watched a very very old movie. Need to check this one out, the cast sounds great! x
Thank you Simona!😊 Haha, really? I bet we are same in age knowing that you watched the 90s animation too.
Haha, yes you should watch the latest version of the movie. Hope you enjoy ! x
I love Little Women and have seen most of its renditions, including the episodic version from, I think, PBS. This version was sweet and classy and focused on most of the little moments directly from the book not covered in previous films about the book. I enjoyed the characters and scenery, but the 1994 is still my favorite.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks Jaya for sharing your thoughts! 😊
Wow, to the fact that you’ve seen most of the renditions. That’s absolutely amazing! You can make a comparative review about them all.
I should check out too the 1994 version too. 👍
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